Pandora's Box

The fight against Sin was supposed to be the war to end all wars. The battle between faiths, the conflict between races, the clashing of ideas and beliefs. It all had been over. Yuna had been sure of it. When Sin had overshadowed Spira for the last time, its body erupting with the souls it has trapped in the endless spiral, the everlasting curse had to be lifted. The suffering was over. Peace had finally been attained, something many people had been waiting a lifetime for. And despite the hypocrisy, the lies, and the betrayal of the faithful, Yuna wouldn't give up on bringing the long-awaited peace. It wasn't in her nature to walk away from the people. She had been their hope from the very beginning, following her father, and every summoner before. But it had taken almost three years to come to the realization that for once, she had chosen herself over the safety and security of the entire world. She had walked away. Straying from the path of the summoner and everything it had stood for, she'd been selfish. She had been conceited, stubborn, and unwilling to face the consequences, and in doing so, forced everyone she and Tidus saved to face them, instead. If her father - her true father - had been here, he wouldn't have recognized his own daughter. Now she'd realized she didn't choose herself despite Tidus's pleading for more than the obvious reason that it just wasn't like her. Yuna had already chosen herself. On that island. One thousand years in the past.

"It's alright, Yuna." Tidus said in the most soothing voice he could manage. Dwelling in the past is futile, Auron would tell her. But this kind of guilt and moaning over her previous choices was more than a feeling of insecurity. If Tidus had known the truth, about who she was, and what she had done, he would have recognized her even less so than her father. If he had known that she was misleading him, making him believe the life he'd been living had been genuine, he wouldn't have believed his own words that everything was alright. To make matters worse, she had neglected him these past few years. It wasn't clear to her if it had been because of her own guilt, or his own safety. All that had been clear to her was that she could not look him in the eye without seeing a bit of herself. The destructive path she'd taken by ignoring each warning. Her faults and the part of herself she didn't realize she'd been hiding from him rested in his weary eyes. The beautiful blue marbles she'd once became lost in.

"Do you... wanna talk about it?" he asked. Yuna had looked at him and asked herself if it was really worth all of the pain she had put him through. The aches, the soreness, the lack of belonging he always spoke of whenever she had made time for him. The rest of the world's suffering. Was any of it worth it? For the first time, when she saw him and questioned it, the answer wasn't as clear as it once had been.

She shook her head. "No... I... not... not really."

"Okay," Tidus said and Yuna was glad he decided to leave it at that.

"You know I'm always here for you, right?" he said. She closed her eyes tightly, putting out of her mind the phantoms of her father and everyone she'd made promises to that she didn't keep.

"Yes," she answered.

"Do you wanna take a walk?" he asked. "It would probably help if you moved around. Y'know, get a clear head and everything."

It had taken her a while to respond to him, but she nodded slowly. "Okay."

She grasped his hand and took one last look back at the empty space where she thought she saw all those figures. Nothing was there.

"Come on, give me something." Rikku muttered to herself as she looked over the oscillo-finder.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up too high," Shinra said. "We haven't received any signal since the Council members went missing."

"But we can find something even in the worst of times." She turned around when Yuna appeared in the room. "Yunie, are you okay?"

"Yes," she told her cousin. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Yuna nodded.

Tidus scratched the back of his head. "I think this adventure's just bringing us down."

Rikku sighed. "Even my dad, and he's gotta be the toughest guy i know."

Shinra sighed heavily, something he only did when he was deep in thought.

"Sin's back, huh? I was sure after Yuna came back from fighting it that things were going to change, for us and for them. That we can learn to get along with each other and help each other out in life. But now... it feels like things just can't be any other way. We're doomed to stay hidden from the world."

Yuna turned her head towards him.

"Hmm?" She'd heard him, but hearing him speak of his inner mind was rare. Even more rare than seeing his actual face.

"Oh, nothing. Just a monologue. I seem to be doing that a lot lately. Maybe it's all the time I spend alone."

Rikku put her hand on his head. "Well, once we get this thing over with, everything will go back to normal and you don't have to spend all that time by yourself anymore."

"I hope so." he replied.

There was a signal making noise on the Commsphere and a tiny red speck appeared on it. Rikku jumped to it.

"Hold on, we're getting a signal! But... where's it going?"

The dot was circling a particular area very clumsily. It was going forward and then changing course in the same second. Like the pilot, or driver, couldn't make a decision about the direction they wanted to travel in.

"Somebody's flying our ship. Not well, though." Shinra said.

"Who? It can't be Pop, or Brother." Rikku asked him.

"Who else knows how to fly a ship as well as you, or them?" Shinra asked.

Rikku turned her head up in thought. "Only Gippal but... you said you guys haven't heard from them at all, and the Council members went missing. Why do we have a signal now if he's been missing this whole time?"

Rikku pulled up the information on the signal's whereabouts. It was leaving Bevelle but something seemed to be blocking its path. It had to have been something enormous to stop an airship from escaping. Sin? Yuna thought, but didn't want to say out loud. At this point, she was afraid just mentioning it in her own head would be enough to bring it here. For all she knew, her powers could have been limitless. Maybe she was capable of creating a new Sin to fight against this one. No, she told herself, shaking her head.

"You okay, Yuna?" Tidus asked her.

She nodded to him.

"Gippal was in Bevelle the last time we'd heard." Shinra said. "That has to be him."

Rikku breathed a sigh of relief. "Well, whatever's he's been doing this whole time, hopefully he can muster some strength to give us a ride back there." Rikku brought up the digital keyboard and started typing a message.

"He'd sure do anything for you." Shinra said, quietly.

Rikku jerked her head up and tensed her shoulders together. "What was that?"

"Nothing." Shinra was the master of speaking everyone's thoughts loud enough to hear, but quietly enough to make people question it.

Yuna and Tidus appeared outside of the tent where the tension seemed to be wearing off somewhat. Gaia was staring at the birds flying above them, taking in the beauty of the clear sky without Sin's silhouette darkening it. Wakka and Lulu were both keeping an eye on the two kids while Brother and Chuami were engaged in a discussion, though it seemed like they were debating, about blitzball.

"Uh... Miss Yuna?" Kurgum said as he slowly approached her. "I apologize... I thought you wanted some time alone."

"It's alright, Kurgum." Yuna answered him. "I've taken that time to get some things out of my system, so I thank you for that."

Kurgum scratched the back of his head. "Oh... I'm glad."

Tidus's grip tightened slightly on Yuna's hand.

"We should go." he said and pulled her away. Wakka called after them before they left the vicinity.

"Hey, where do you two think you're going?"

"For a walk around the place." Tidus said.

"You sure that's a good idea?"

"What could possibly go wrong?" Tidus said. "Have some faith in this ol' guardian right here. I can handle anything."

"You forget about those monsters? And Sin?" Wakka said.

"What, you don't trust me to protect Yuna and myself?"

"Not on your own, I don't."

Tidus groaned in frustration.

"It's okay, Wakka. If there's any trouble, we can come and retrieve you guys." Yuna said to them.

Wakka crossed his arms. "Alright, you better keep her safe, ya?"

"Yeah, man." said Tidus.

It was hard to believe that several weeks ago, the area wasn't as desolate an quiet as it was that day. The ground would have been covered completely, each square inch, with scurrying people. It was one of the many reasons Yuna didn't take Tidus's offer to come with him if he decided to leave Besaid for a faster-paced life in the city. It was so unfamiliar compared to the serene, peaceful, and calm lifestyle of Besaid. Yet, today, it was more like Besaid than it ever had been. Even on the day of Sin's last appearance. Everyone had fled to safety and decided that this city, filled with treacherous machina and the untrustworthy Al Bhed, was no longer safe. It angered her as much as it made her uncomfortable. Enough that a shiver ran down her spine.

"You cold?" Tidus asked. It had been one of the warmest days Luca had ever known, but Yuna had felt colder than ice. Her hands had been shaking and her steps were light and short.

"A little." she answered.

He smoothed his palms over her arms. The closer he was to her, the tighter the feeling in her chest became.

"I'm all right." she told him. "I think I just need to warm up."

Tidus moved his legs in a jogging position. "Well, how about a little race? It'll warm you right up!"

She gave him a small smile. "I'm not the fastest runner, you know. You'll win."

"Well," He jogged in front of her. "I'm a little rusty since I decided swimming was my strong suit."

She laughed at him. "Alright, I'll race you to the other side of the stadium."

Both of them stood in position.

"On the count of three," he said.

"One." she started. But she was already up and running before Tidus could speak the next number.

"Hey, wait up!" He called after her.

She had been running as much as she could, but her garb was making it difficult to outrun him. Eventually, he caught up and passed her. He was taunting her with the charming teases he usually did whenever they'd been fooling around. She was laughing this time and not for the sake of everyone else around her. Until she was running out of breath. She hadn't ran like this in so long while also enjoying herself. Yuna stopped to take a break and rested her hands on her knees.

"Come on, Yuna!" Tidus called from a distance away. "You gotta keep up if you're gonna catch me!"

"Wait!" She was running pathetically now, her heels barely leaving the ground. By the time she reached the other side of the stadium, she was by herself. There was no sign of any other being than her in any corner. She called out for him, but no answer had been given. She could only hear her own voice and her own rapid breathing. She stopped and turned her head to every corner. Where would he have gone? The parameter wasn't a large space. Maybe he went inside the stadium? She went in through the deserted hallways. The only sound was the rustling of paper scooting across the tile. She tried the other hallways to the locker rooms for the opposing teams. Nothing.

"Tidus?"

She was starting to feel nervous. He wasn't in the sphere pool, nor was he in the bleachers. Her feet frantically carried her to the side of the stadium where they first started the race. It was empty. Like he had disappeared.

"No, he couldn't have..." she whispered to herself. "Tidus!"

Her hands began to sweat and her breathing had quickened as she ran from one space to the other. She didn't even realize the shadow of the person silently creeping up behind her.

"RAH!" A yell rang in her ear and she nearly jumped out of her skin as two hands grabbed at her shoulders. She yelped and spun around. He laughed heartily, which would normally have been a sound she adored, but at that moment she was annoyed at him and smacked him in the chest.

"Don't scare me like that!" she shrieked and struggled to keep herself composed. Tidus's smile faded away and he gently approached her. Her hand was pressed against her chest and she lowered herself onto the floor.

"Hey, it's alright," he said as he knelt beside her. His hands glossed over her arms where goosebumps had spread. "Are you okay? Did something happened?"

Yes, something did happen, but not now, she wanted to say. All she could manage was, "Yes, I'm okay. It's just... with everything going on, I thought you..." She looked at him in the eyes. "I thought something terrible happened to you."

"No, I'm perfectly fine, see?" He stood and stretched his arms out. "Not a scratch on me." She nodded and took his offered hand as he helped her up. When she was sure she was calm, Yuna straightened her body and looked at the path ahead.

"Well, I definitely feel warmer now." she told him. "Thank you."

"Yeah, sure," he kept his eyes on her. She thought she could feel the weight of them on her shoulders. "You... feeling okay? You kinda look like you wanna get something off your chest."

Yuna turned to the place they had just come from, where the rest of the group was taking a break from the chaos that was this journey. To say she wanted to relieve herself of something was a complete understatement. She didn't even know where she would begin with it all.

"Actually," she began. "I think I would like to walk around some more. And talk."

He nodded and took her towards the side opposite from the entrance. But for a while, neither of them spoke. Perhaps he'd been just as lost on where to begin with everything that had happened as she was, and though she was desperate to know all of the thoughts haunting his mind, she decided to keep her questions to herself. At least for now. Where had everything gone so wrong? What happened to their happily ever after? She knew she didn't deserve it, not after all of this. The questions were rhetorical and pointless. And still she kept asking them.

"Never thought Luca would feel so... empty." Tidus told her. "It's weird." They had wandered over to a nearby seating area and rested on a small bench. "It... kinda reminds me of my old home in Zanarkand."

"How come?" Yuna asked him.

"Well," he stretched his arms and leaned his head back to look at the sky. "After a game, I usually stayed and practiced some more 'til everyone at the stadium left. I was the only one there, but I kinda liked it like that. I could actually focus."

"You didn't want to go home?"

He shrugged. "It's not like there was anyone waiting for me there, anyways." He held his hands behind his head. "Except Auron, but you know how much of a drag he could be."

Yuna crossed her legs and rested her hands on them. "Do you still miss it? Zanarkand?" It was the first time she heard him say its name.

"Eh," he waved his hand dismissively. "Sometimes, when I'm really bored on Besaid."

"So..." she began quietly. "You do feel bored on Besaid."

He sat up. "Oh, no! That's not what I meant at all! It's... just..." She knew when he was tongue tied, he often rubbed the back of his head in thought. "I... I guess it's not so much a bored feeling as it is a... useless feeling. You know, like a washed-up celebrity? Like someone everyone used to know and love?"

"Everyone still loves you." Especially me, she wanted to add, but didn't.

He shrugged and laid back against the concrete and watched the small clouds flow along the sky. "I dunno. Blitzball's always been something I thought I was destined for. Like, if I couldn't play blitzball, then I wasn't anybody. But... living on Besaid this past year... and feeling the way I've been after every game, I'm starting to think about what I would have done, or what I could be doing, besides playing blitzball."

"And... what is that?"

His arms folded over his chest. "It kinda feels like there isn't any other option. I either play blitzball, or become a bus boy. Or a bartender."

"Or a guardian?"

His gaze lowered and he breathed in deeply. "Being a guardian is... hard. I don't know if I could have handled it if it had been a different situation. Without me being thrown into this world, I mean."

"You're a lot stronger than you think, Tidus." She reminded him.

"Thanks, but... I don't think strong people have as many doubts about their purpose as I have."

She hugged her knees to her chest. "I know what you mean..."

"Yuna?" he asked after a brief period of silence. "What would you have done if you didn't become a summoner?"

It may have seemed to him that she would have had more options than he did, but she was just as unsure about alternative options. Being a summoner had seemed to be her destiny since her upbringing. "Uh... I would have tried to carry my father's legacy in other ways. I would have become a priestess, or an acolyte. My father's name was always important for me to uphold."

"Not playing blitzball?"

"Oh, no," she shook her head. "I would be terrible at it."

"I was terrible at it at first," Tidus said. "My dad used to mock me for it. He probably still would if he was still around. But I practiced my heart out. Eventually, I proved I was good to myself."

Her lips curled into a smile, but it was difficult to keep them that way after hearing more of what had been swimming through his mind. She hadn't realized it, because there was no time for second guessing this life she'd created for him, but the pressure of pretending that everything had been nothing but a serene, peaceful dream had laid on her like heavy weights. Connected to chains. Behind all thoughts of guilt, she'd convinced herself that given the chance, everyone would have had their deceased loved ones back. But not everyone was willing to interrupt the dead's peace by reliving a fantasy world.

"At some point, I didn't feel like I belonged in my own hometown," Tidus said. "My dad was Mr. Big Shot, and in Zanarkand, if you weren't famous, you might as well have been dead. I didn't have a lot of friends growing up and when my mom died, I felt like I lost all people that ever gave a shit about me. For a second, I felt like maybe it would have been better if I didn't exist at all."

Yuna tightened her grip on her long skirt.

"And I kept thinking that, until one day," he continued. "Auron showed up, with a blitzball in hand, and said 'show me what you can do'. I told him there wasn't any point. The whole world was grieving for Jecht and if he doesn't come back, how was I supposed to remind him of how he failed as a father and everything else?"

"And... what did Sir Auron say?"

He spread his arms out. "He said 'there's a chance he'll return, and if he does, how are you going to show him how much better you are at his own sport?'."

"And then what happened?"

She watched his head tilt back and his eyes shine. "I got better at the only thing my dad ever cared about. Then people started to notice. Suddenly, that feeling of not belonging faded away."

She turned her head away and watched the birds flying over the water.

"I got it back when I popped in Spira the first time," he continued. "I went into the future, it seemed, but... I felt like I went back in time. All these beliefs and traditions I never really understood, these rules I didn't have to follow back at home. It was worse, because I knew this wasn't my home. But... when we got together..." he paused. "I felt less like that. It took a lot longer to feel like I belonged, but at least there were people that understood me. People like you. And Auron. And Wakka. And Lulu."

"And what about now?" she watched the two birds following each other. "Do you... feel that way now?"

He sat up and rested his upper body on his arms. She knew he was looking at her because she was wracked with guilt and false claims of love. As she should have been. It was her fault. She knew it was her fault.

"I... well... kinda," he admitted. "I'm not even as good at the thing I've been striving to be good at my entire life, anymore. People look at me on Besaid like I'm a waste of oxygen. Like I'm unnecessary and a burden on you and the rest of the group." She heard the frustration in his voice. "But they never ask me what I want to do or who I want to be on that island. I don't know how I'm supposed to be less useless to them if they won't give me any suggestions. And Wakka relies on me to carry his team, which is the thing I thought I couldn't screw up. It's like I'm an extra piece of a puzzle that's perfectly put together already."

I'm sorry, she thought. But she wanted to reassure him, instead.

"But you are a piece to the puzzle," she said. "To me, you are."

He didn't seem to take her words into consideration.

"That dream I told you about," he said, making Yuna's stomach tighten as much as her hand. "The one where I exploded? When I saw Sin, I went into a fit of hysteria and I screamed about being dead. I guess it's not a dream as much as it is a nightmare. I don't know why it keeps happening, but last night, I tried to dissect it and figure out what it meant."

She held her breath. "And...?"

He didn't answer and stood up to walk towards the edge of the platform. Yuna was holding her enclosed fist to her chest and watched him. Up until recently, his actions had been predictable. And now she wasn't sure if he was about to leap off the platform and disappear into the ocean.

"Maybe... I'm not actually dead," he said. "It made sense for me to be dead when I saw Sin and had all these crazy visions about exploding. But... how can I be dead if I'm here? Talking to you? I... haven't turned." he looked at his hands. "I'm not dead. I can't be. Otherwise... I truly wouldn't belong here... right?"

He was suffering under her watch and she had let it go. If she had just allowed him to believe what he said he believed about himself right now, then perhaps things could return back to the way they were. Living harmoniously together in their perfect ending. Her perfect ending. Because it was her mission to find him, to see him again, to walk together. It had been her who had resurrected him and the result had only been nothing but happiness on her end. Hearing him open his mind and heart to her, now she could see that she was the one receiving the satisfaction of her actions. His physical state had been ruptured along with his spirit. She could see it clearly, now. He was miserable. She wasn't doing the right thing by holding him to this world. Now was her chance to liberate him, so he could be at peace with himself. It would have been the best thing she could have done for him.

Yuna's mind was made up. She stood and walked over to him and rested a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Tidus..." she began quietly and he turned to gaze at her with such curiosity that seemed almost innocent. "I... have to tell you something."

And he waited with those enlarged, shining eyes. Yuna had to use all of her internal strength to fight off all conflicting decisions, but before she could say anything, he spun around.

"Wait..." he mumbled and held a protective arm around her. It was the black-hooded figure scurrying across the empty stadium. Tidus was about to chase down the infamous one when Yuna held onto his arm.

"Wait!" she said. "Let's go get the others first!"

"We're not letting that guy get away, not this time!"

"But..."

"Come on!" Tidus grasped her free hand and dragged her with them. Yuna hoped their yelling would capture the attention of the rest of the crew.

The sender led them out of Luca and onto Mi'ihen Highroad. Tidus was running at such a speed that would allow them to capture the figure, but the sender had clearly thought ahead of them. Several fiends appeared in the path ahead of them. Yuna had readied her deadliest spells while Tidus planted himself on the groud with Brotherhood in hand. These fiends were not the kind that amateur guardians would fight against. They were much more durable and resilient. Without the specialties of the rest of the crew, Yuna was unsure about being able to successfully defeat the sender. Yuna had to keep healing Tidus before healing herself and in the middle of the road, the sender stopped and stared directly at them, without a word.

"Stop right there! What did you do with those summoners?! Who are you?! Why are you doing this?!" Tidus demanded.

Yet another resurgence appeared before them at the waving of the sender's hands. The Chocobo Eater with a taste for human flesh. Its glare was menacing and its roar was enough to stun them. Hasteaga was needed and as a habit, Tidus had already casted it on the two. But the fiend was enhanced. It had repeated his actions and casted the spell on itself. It swung, caused earthquakes, and had come close to grabbing them. Yuna and Tidus were both close to losing and the Chocobo Eater was standing with barely a scratch. They had been saved at the last minute as two stray arrows punctured the creature's eyes. The fiend fell on its back as Wakka, Gaia, and Lulu arrived.

"What did we tell you two about running off?!" Lulu asked, healing them with her own White Magic.

"Sorry!" Tidus said.

The battle was more evenly matched as the crew fought the creature a second time. It was difficult to determine if it had fallen for good because it had surprised them by returning to its feet and stomping the ground. Eventually, just as before, the creature had been driven to a cliff and thrown off to its peril. Once the monster's pyreflies rose into the air, the sender had fled once again.

"Hey... we gotta... we gotta... stop him!" Tidus said, surprised that he was out of breath after this one battle.

"I think... that you need to rest." Yuna said. She caught him as he collapsed onto his knees.

"What did you think you were doing, running off like that and trying to fight that man by yourselves?" Wakka scolded. Even Lulu had been impressed by his words. Or shocked.

"Sorry, we thought we could catch him." Yuna said. She tried helping him onto his feet but he politely pushed her to the side. As politely as he could, that was.

"I don't need any help, I can walk." he said. "Believe me, I've been through a hell of a lot worse." The potions seemed to have a slower effect on him as his scratches and bruises were still visible. "Let's go follow him. Maybe we'll find some answers to this madness.

The rest of the crew looked at Yuna and she just shrugged as she followed his lead. Sometimes, the best thing to do was just agree with him. He could be too stubborn for his own good.

They made their way to the gate, where a large portion of the Luca population were gathered in front of two members of the Council Forces. The people were shouting at them, demanding quick responses to their questions.

"Oh no..." Yuna mumbled and she made her way to them.

"Our families! We haven't seen them in days!"

"What's the Council hiding from us?!"

"May Yevon have mercy on us all!"

"Why can't you let us through, dammit!"

"Where is the chancellor when we need him?!"

"Where's my brother?!"

Yuna recognized that voice and turned her head to see Maroda. His face was swollen, his clothing was ragged, and dirt was coated on every part of his skin.

"Oh, hi, Lady Yuna." he acknowledged her.

"Isaaru had gone missing, too?" she asked.

"Yeah, it was this bastard in a black coat. I tried to stop him, but all of a sudden, I just passed out!" his eyes looked shameful. "I saw him running through these gates earlier and I would've got to him if these damn people would let me through!"

The guards stationed in front of the gate were the ones that many people often found carrying out Council commands. One was Lucil, the other was Elma, both on two chocobos. They tried responding to the people best as they could.

"Orders are orders! We were told by the Council members not to let anyone through these gates! It's too dangerous!" Lucil said.

"Bullshit!"

"Please, we aren't looking for a fight, we are only doing what we're told! Until we hear from the Council again, we must keep everyone from entering this area!" Elma said.

"Somebody save our poor families!"

Yuna decided to take the lead in the group and made her way through the frantic crowd. When the people took notice of her, they stopped their ranting and bowed their head to her. Several of them were whispering her name as she walked over to Commander Lucil.

"High Summoner Yuna! What business have you brought here?"

"I've heard there were missing people trapped behind these gates. I've come to ask if I could possibly enter through to help retrieve them."

Lucil shook her head. "I'm sorry, Lady Yuna, but trespassing these gates is strictly prohibited."

"I have also been ordered by the Council themselves to complete this task." Yuna told them.

"Are... are you certain?"

Yuna nodded. "There is grave danger much worse than Sin itself behind these gates, and I believe it is my duty to eliminate it along with my guardians."

Lucil was hesitant but nodded to the former summoner. She and Elma opened the gates. As they walked past the hopeful people, Yuna could hear them chanting her name in desperation.

"Lady Yuna shall beat Sin and restore peace to Spira once again!" The rest of them began to cheer. Normally, it would have pleased her to know that they had faither in her, still. Not this time. Possibly, not any time soon, either.